[media presentation below] GospelThink Friday, October 20 LUKE 12:1-7 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body; fear only the person that can punish you in hell forever. Prayerthoughts a. Jesus speaks of the “leaven” of the Pharisees. Leaven is yeast that spreads throughout a substance. So the “leaven” of the Pharisees can be looked at as the way they think and act. Obviously, my thinking should be about “good.” What thoughts in particular should I improve on in my life? b. When something is said in secret and while in hiding, it is usually something that we are afraid of revealing in public. Such is Jesus’s thought here. Am I brave enough to make my Christian belief known to others? c. What I must fear, Jesus says, are not those who kill the body, but  the one who can condemn to Gehenna, hell. Am I aware of any evil that has crept into my life, and need to address it now? d. The Lord tells me that I need to fear nothing because just as sparrows, he will take care of us. Do I believe with all my heart and soul that the Lord will always be with me? e. What are the greatest evils in my own little world around me, and have they made an inroad into my life? (This is the task of the meditation.) f. My prayerthoughts… Today, I will carry out letter e. Some Thoughts on the Liturgy  GOD’S PLAN: NO HYPOCRISY AND COMPLETE TRUST  + The letter to the Romans speaks of Abraham who was following God’s plan for humankind          – God’s plan ultimately is our eternal salvation                   – God through Jesus has made it possible for us to choose eternal salvation  + But we still have to choose          – that is, we have to work toward God’s plan in our lives                   – and Jesus gives us a couple thoughts on what that means as he continues to be critical of the Pharisees  + Jesus says first of all that we have to work against hypocrisy as we work out God’s plan in our lives          – the Pharisees were hypocritical in their approach to religion and life                   – they said that they were good, holy people by their actions, but inside, it was a different story                            – Jesus says that it is what is inside, that interior will be revealed for all to see          – as Christians, we are called to the opposite of hypocrisy                   – called to be sincere in our approach to other people and the situations we are involved in          – in general, it means studying ourselves and our intentions and seeing whether we really are trying to do what we say in religion, in life, and in developing the spiritual life  + Jesus also says that part of God’s plan leading to eternal salvation means that we have to trust that God will help us          – God looks out for everyone, Jesus says          – who do we trust?                   – as we look at our behavior patterns, is it evident that we truly trust what God will do for us?  + We believe that God’s plan is being worked out with us          – and that we have a big part to play in it—by working at it ourselves          – today Jesus reminds us that hypocrisy has no place in that plan, but that we have to be sincere,                   – and it involves complete trust in allowing God to work in our lives. MEDIA PRESENTATION Movie: “The Miracle Season” — final session THE GUIDANCE OF THE SPIRIT The Gospel JOHN 16:12-14 Jesus said, “I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now. But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth. He will not speak on his own, but he will speak what he hears, and will declare to you the things that are coming. He will glorify me, because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you.”

Gospelthink: The Holy Spirit will come upon you to lead you in your life and the life to come. Do I pray to the Holy Spirit to aid me?

The volleyball team at West High School in Iowa City, Iowa were in a state of mourning for their captain, Caroline “Line” Found. Her father was even more distressed as he felt the loss of both his daughter and his wife who had died from cancer. Incredibly the team was able to make a comeback with the leadership of their coach, Kathy Bresnahan and Caroline’s best friend Kelley Fliehler using the inspiration of their deceased captain as motivation. At the same time, following the same motivation, Dr. Found was able to withstand his sorrow. The team won their second straight State championship, a truly miraculous accomplishment.

How does the Holy Spirit act in our lives? As we always do, we look for spiritual answers in our Scriptures. Jesus was speaking late in his public life of ministry about the Holy Spirit, what he called the “Spirit of truth” or the “Advocate.”  It is significant how he described it. The Spirit of truth will guide the Apostles to whom Jesus is speaking. Jesus was praying that the Apostles would listen to the Spirit who will guide them to how Jesus thinks. Often during his ministry the Lord referred to what should happen in our lives, implying that we should allow the motivation of good people to be part of our thought. We think of the examples of Mary Magdalene, John the Baptist, and the Apostles when they understood the Lord. Judging from what Jesus said about the Spirit, it was the Spirit who guided them to truth.  The Spirit inspired others by having them consider the good people of Jesus’ time. One can see that idea at work in the life of very inspiring people in our world as well, as Line was for the people of Iowa City High School. She had motivated the school and especially the volleyball team to the height of achievement. Translated into spiritual terms, the Holy Spirit was inspiring the people who thought of her with the thought of true accomplishment.   The Holy Spirit will lead us to the Lord’s words and actions. In every day life, it means that we will be guided by the inspiration of good people and even everything that happens to accomplish the good things that the Lord wants.

PRAYER Good and gracious God, You and Your Son guide us by giving us the grace of the Holy Spirit. May we learn that everything that happens to us, even the difficulties of life can be graces that help us.  Be with us, we pray.

+++++ GUIDE FOR CLASSROOM PRESENTATION AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT Theme: The inspiration that comes from knowing another is one of ways the Holy Spirit guides us.     DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: (session: approximately 46 minutes) 1. What scene during this session of the movie is most striking? Why? 2. What does the movie “The Miracle Season” teach young people? 3. What is your understanding of how the Holy Spirit works in our lives? 4. What are the principal difficulties of our High Schools today, and what can be done about them? 5. The meditation uses the idea that the Holy Spirit used good people to be inspiration to others. What are some examples of that in our lives? 6. As the finals approached in the Volleyball championship, the chance of “losing” was very real in the minds of those who supported West volleyball. Why is it necessary to understand that “winning” or “losing” a game has nothing to do with  spirituality? 7. Give an example of “losing” which is a means to help people.